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American Reunion

Hollywood seems like a rough place. People who were once hot or up-and-coming are barely relevant now. Remember Chris Klein? What about Tara Reid? Which leads me to my next point. I think American Reunion was made just to give the cast an excuse to meet up, have some fun, and collect a paycheck.

When American Pie was released in 1999, it was an instant hit, featuring raunchy laughs and memorable dialogue. It even spawned the term ‘MILF,’ a pop-culture mainstay. That’s gotta count for something. I don’t want to call it a classic, but that’s sort of what it was. Most of the well-known 80s teen movies featured horny kids trying to get laid, and I think that’s the familiar aspect that resonated most with viewers of the original movie. The sequel was ok, but I passed on the subsequent installments. Since American Reunion brought back the original cast, I thought it might be worth a look. The gang is about 30 years old now, and things have changed a lot. Kevin is married and Oz (Chris Klein) is a minor celebrity with a broadcasting career and an appearance on a dancing reality show. Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are married with an adorable toddler. Finch is completely swagged out. And Stifler…well, I’m not sure what Stifler is doing exactly, but he is living in his mom’s basement. Jim and Michelle are suffering from a lack of intimacy, which is probably not uncommon for young married couples with a small child. The movie opens with a hilarious scene of them independently trying to pleasure themselves without being disturbed. Jim has always been the maven of masturbation, so nothing’s changed. At least no pies were harmed this time around.

Kevin thinks it will be a good idea if the gang all reunites for their 13th high school reunion. Why, I don’t know. Nobody celebrates the 13th of anything, unless it’s a birthday or anniversary. It’s an unlucky number and there’s nothing significant about it. 5, 10, 15 or 20 year reunion – I get it. But 13th? Ok, whatever. Jim’s dad is the same old dad, always ready with a humorous albeit unwanted piece of sexual advice. Stifler and Finch haven’t buried the hatchet since Stifler’s mom made a man out of him, and he wasn’t exactly high on the guest list for the reunion festivities. Closer inspection reveals that things aren’t as great as they seem to be with Finch, or Oz. They may have been keeping up appearances in the real world, but it takes the reunion to remind them of a simpler time and what real friendship is all about. I’m just as close with a few people in high school as I was when we were teens; so I could relate to that aspect of the storyline.

American Reunion was a pretty funny movie. It’s not one that needed to be made, but that’s ok. Most of the cast hasn’t done anything noteworthy since American Pie, and that made me sad and nostalgic for some reason. The plot was simple, and like I said – this was just an excuse to make a couple of dollars and rehash an old movie whose stars have since fizzled. You know what though? It worked! I laughed out loud repeatedly. Grade: B.